Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Some of the best news coverage on TV is on Comedy Central. Four nights a week newsman Jon Stewart (who plays a comedian on the show) focuses on subjects that should have importance to his viewers. Last night the program went to Detroit to look for water.

You’ve probably seen reports that Detroit is in the process of cutting off water to about 150,000 residents, who have gone so far to protest to the United Nations.

Even if the UN decides the cutoff is a human rights violation, it’s unlikely any government entity in this great country of ours will listen to the UN.

Jessica Williams did more for Detroit residents on last night’s Daily Show than the UN ever will do.

What I and no doubt most viewers learned from the program is that only the poor are being cut off, and even if they want to set up a payment plan, it makes no difference to those caring people running the city. At the same time, businesses that owe millions of dollars are not being cut off. Actually, that info has been on the web for some time. I guess I just didn’t see it. Well, last night a huge audience was made aware.

In the skit, Williams went looking for water with her divining rod, and found it at a golf course.

So while 150,000 people may be cut off, golfers can enjoy things like this water feature:

Yes, the golf course and other businesses are allowed to use (and waste) water while thousands of Detroit residents are reduced to living in a third-world country without running water or human waste disposal.

One thing has always puzzled me—why do so many sociopaths and other evildoers agree to be interviewed on the Daily Show? Stewart, his writers and the correspondents have a knack for exposing the unsavory actors in government and business. They have an edge over other news outlets that, at best, are often merely stenographers for the official line. If not actively evil, some interviewees appear to be willing or ignorant pawns in a bad system. Not that a pawn should be excused.

Jon Stewart has repeatedly insisted that he is a comedian, not a journalist.